Suburban officials voice opposition to RTA, commuter rail

As transit backers push for regional transit authority legislation in the final weeks of the legislative session, suburban officials are reminding state lawmakers that they're skeptical of RTAs, transit sales taxes and commuter rail.

The Waukesha County Board’s Executive Committee unanimously voted Monday to endorse a resolution objecting to the county’s inclusion in any regional transit authority unless the board votes to participate. If the full board agrees March 23, it would follow a similar action by the Washington County Board in February — even though none of the competing legislative plans to expand the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority would require that Waukesha, Ozaukee or Washington counties to be included unless they vote to opt in.

In both cases, the counties’ resolutions say that the counties have limited public transit services, no planned routes for commuter rail, no potential for major property tax relief from new transit revenue sources and prefer continued county governance of local transit services.

Waukesha County Board Chairman Jim Dwyer said the resolution may sound redundant, but it’s an added protection. “When they imposed a stadium tax on Waukesha County, they didn’t ask us, either,” he said.

A key goal of the transit legislation is to set up a temporary Milwaukee County transit authority that could impose a 0.5% sales tax to replace property tax support and expand funding for the county's financially strapped bus system. That authority could later merge with the existing RTA, which is in charge of the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line.

In its current form, the legislation also would authorize temporary transit authorities in Racine and Kenosha counties and allow Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties to join in — but none of them could impose sales taxes without a referendum. Meanwhile, a substitute version, pushed by Democratic state Reps. Tamara Grigsby of Milwaukee and Cory Mason of Racine, would allow only the interim Milwaukee County authority and bring the Racine and Kenosha bus systems directly into the RTA as of Jan. 1.

When she announced her proposal, Grigsby cited suburban Republican opposition to RTA legislation as the reason for cutting out the northern and western counties. But other transit backers, such as RTA Chairman Karl Ostby, said it was a mistake to close the door entirely on those counties.

In related developments:

State Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine) is pointing to the latest version of a four-county poll to argue that the public doesn't support a regional transit authority. Results from The People Speak Poll showed no significant change from last fall, when the same poll found majority opposition in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties to a transit authority funded by a sales tax. In a 2008 advisory referendum, Milwaukee County voters narrowly backed a 1% sales tax for transit, parks and emergency medical services, with majority support in Milwaukee, Glendale, Shorewood and West Milwaukee overcoming opposition in the other 15 municipalities.

The Salem Town Board voted last week to oppose the KRM line, following a similar vote by the Paddock Lake Village Board in February. Neither of the western Kenosha County communities would be on the rail route from Kenosha to Milwaukee.